New for 2019: Austin Bold FC

Branding for the new USL Austin club has been announced, as the team will be known as Austin Bold FC.

Austin Bold FC is set to begin USL play in 2019, and will compete at a new 5,000-seat stadium at Circuit of The Americas. Plans for the club were first announced last summer, but it was questioned whether they would become a reality after it was revealed last fall that Anthony Precourt was seeking to move MLS’s Columbus Crew SC to Austin. Discussions over that potential move continue, but the Bold is proceeding toward a 2019 launch in the USL.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for soccer to succeed in Austin,” said Austin Bold FC General Manager Roberto Silva in a press statement. “We will have first-class facilities, a 5,000-seat soccer specific stadium, concessions that include adult beverages, and we’re recruiting players of an incredibly high caliber. This is a fantastic chance for the game to grow and flourish in this market and we are excited to bring all of it to the great soccer fans in Austin.”

The Austin Bold FC branding comes with several distinct elements, as the club explained in a press release that was issued Friday:

‘AUSTIN BOLD FC’ is set in a custom brand typeface that will be featured extensively in the club’s visual identity. It is a wide-stance sans serif that emphasizes the power of the team. The custom ‘B’ mark features two lines moving together—one line representing the players and one line representing the supporters. Together they form the strong identity that is the Bold ‘B.’ There is even a component of the ‘B’ that is a subtle reference to the profile of the iconic Circuit of The Americas Tower, evoking movement and speed. Central Texas’ golden sun rays and turquoise waterways were an inspiration for the club’s visual identity, and all the design elements are locked up in a circular seal as a nod to international clubs that many football fans will recognize.

The branding was not only major announcement that the club made on Friday. In addition, the Bold announced the appointment of head coach Marcelo Serrano and a few player signings, including striker Kléber Giacomazzi de Souza Freitas, midfielder Marcelo Saragosa, and left-back Edson Braafheid.

Austin is one of seven clubs that has been announced for 2019 USL expansion, making it part of a group that also includes Loudoun United FC, Hartford Athletic, New Mexico (to play at Albuquerque’s Isotopes Park in 2019), Birmingham Legion FC, El Paso, and Memphis. The USL’s 2019 lineup is currently slated to include 38 teams, but we don’t expect that number to hold. There are 33 USL teams this season, but FC Cincinnati was awarded a 2019 MLS team and Toronto FC II will drop down to the new USL Division III circuit. We expect other MLS-owned USL teams — current and suspended from last season — to make the drop to USL Division III in 2019 as well.